Self-loading or unloading vehicle for cylindrical containers



SELF-LOADING R UNLOADING VEHICLE FOR CZLRICAL CONTAHWERS Lloyd R. McCoy, Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignor to Diamond Alkali Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application August 15, 1955, Serial No. 528,505

Claims. (Cl. 214-75) This invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for the loading, unloading, and transportation of heavy cylindrical objects.

Up to the present time, there has existed, particularly in the chemical industry, a serious problem in the shipping, loading, and unloading of heavy cylinders, typically :a cylinder containing a ton of compressed gas, such as compressed chlorine. When a customer requires a relatively large quantity of compressed gas, it may be shipped by railroad car or by suitable pressurized truck. In these instances, no particular difficulty is encountered insofar as the customer is concerned with handling, loading, or unloading of the compressed gas. The gas generally is either transferred to a storage tank by appropriate piping .and valving, or is otherwise stored until necessary for use.

However, with respect to customers whose needs are met by shipment in smaller quantities, the situation is ldifierent. In such cases, compressed gases are typically supplied in pressurized cylinders. Perhaps one of the most useful types of gas-containing cylinders, insofar as quantity and customer acceptance are concerned, is a cylinder containing approximately one ton of compressed 'gas. These cylinders generally furnish an advantageous quantity of gas, and do not present an unusually difficult storage problem. However, it is to the loading, vtransportation, and unloading of such cylinders, and the problems there involved, that the present invention is directed.

To unload and store such cylinders has heretofore required either that a customer provide a portable crane or some other heavy duty conveyor, such as an overhead monorail system, to unload the trucks, flat cars and/or trailer or semi-trailers upon which the cylinders are transported. Since the commercial use represented by a customer requiring only a relatively small quantity of gas represented by a cylinder, generally does not justify the acquisition of crane facilities for this loading and unloading, there heretofore has been presented a rather difficult practical problem since the cylindrical containers are not only unwieldy, large and extremely heavy, but are susceptible to damage by dropping or other sudden impact as could easily be occasioned by make-shift unloading technique. Moreover, the gases are often toxic, e. g., chlorine, and additional hazard is involved if leaking is encountered. Hence, while attempts have been made in the past to overcome this problem and to provide some feasible means to handle these bulky cylindrical articles; up to the present time no completely satisfactory solu tion has achieved any substantial recognition in the industry.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to avoid the difiiculties heretofore encountered in the handling of heavy cylindrical objects and to provide a new and improved portable apparatus which facilitates the loading, transportation, and unloading of such objects.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel apparatus which may be affixed to various types of moving equipment, thereby to permit ready handling of atent Q heavy cylindrical objects with apparatus which is interchangeable for one type of conveyance to another with little or no modification thereof.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following description thereof.

Generally, this invention comprises, in combination, apparatus adapted to be afiixed to a truck, trailer, semitrailer, flat car, or the like, to permit ready and safe handling of heavy cylindrical objects, said apparatus comprising a base, which may be the floor of the truck, trailer, or the like, cradle means afiixed to said base and adapted to retain the cylindrical objects, and conveyor and hoist means in combination therewith.

The apparatus of the invention In the accompanying drawing, there is illustrated in perspective view, with parts broken away, the apparatus of this invention as employed with a semi-trailer. As shown, the apparatus comprises a base designated generally at 10, which typically is the floor of a trailer or semi-trailer, cradle means indicated generally at 11, juxtapositioned to each other, comprising a plurality of longitudinal rails 12 and 14 secured to said base by bolts (not shown), said rails each containing a plurality of upwardly concave arcuate surfaces 15 spaced longitudinally and aligned transversely to form cradles adapted to receive, hold, and prevent relative movement between heavy cy lindrical objects such as the illustrated cylinder 18. The side rails 12 and 14 are joined transversely by a plurality of reinforcing and bracing members 16, the length of said members, of course, being dictated by the width of the base and the length of the articles to be transported.

Above the cradle and base, at a distance of at least twice the diameter of a cylindrical object to be carried, is provided track means comprising a longitudinally extending centrally disposed beam 263, said beam extending beyond the end of the base it) and being supported at its opposite end by a cantilever-type vertical support beam 22, said support 22 being fixedly secured to said base 10 intermediate the side rails, thereby to prevent escape of the cylindrical article should the base be tilted in a manner which otherwise would tend to roll the cylindrical article out of its cradle in a forward direction.

The longitudinally extending beam 20 is also supported at a plurality of points by inverted U-shaped members 24 and 26, the legs of which straddle the cradle structure and permit movement of cylinders therebetween, each inverted U-shaped member having reinforcing members 28, 30, 32, and 34, as necessary. The entire structure may conveniently be formed of I beams of appropriate dimensions dictated by the load to be carried, and typically may be welded or bolted together with such gusset plates 36 and 38 as necessary to form a structure having sulficient rigidity and strength for the load to be carried.

Mounted and adapted for longitudinal movement along the elevated central beam 20 is a trolley or hoist assembly indicated at 40 and comprising a plurality of rollers 42 and 44, together with corresponding complementary rollers (not shown) on the reverse side of the beam 20. These rollers engage the lower transverse flange 46 of the longitudinally extending beam. By such a roller mounting, the hoist assembly 40 can easily be moved, by manual or power means as desired, along the beam 20 to a desired location. The hoist assembly includes a hook 43 upon which is secured through an inverted U-shaped lug 50 a transverse lifting beam 52 provided with suitable engaging, gripping, and lifting means at each end thereof, such as hooks 54 and 56, at least one of which is pivotally mounted about an axis 58.

To power movement of the hoist assembly 40 along the longitudinal beam, there typically is provided a reel beam 20.

62, around which is wound a cable 64, which is connected to the hoist assembly. Alternatively, of course, the hoist assembly 4t may be moved along the beam by hand, or, if desired, the hoist assembly itself may include power means to drive it along the beam 20.

' While, as indicated hereinbefore, the hoist assembly can be operated manually, it generally is preferable to utilize a powerized hoist assembly. Hence, the practice of this invention contemplates that the hoist assembly may be operated, both as to lifting action and movement, along the longitudinal beam 20, by an electric motor (not shown) located in the hoist assembly housing and actuated by a separate source of electricity, e. g., via electrical lead 21. Alternatively, the electricity may be generated by the tractor trailer unit itself if of a sufficiently 'high voltage. In addition, the electricity could also be supplied by a generator powered by either gasoline or diesel fuel. Further, it also is contemplated that the hoist assembly can be energized by compressed air from the tractor trailer compressor with or without additional power to move the hoist assembly along the Mode of operation In operation, the apparatus of this invention avoids the necessity of providing hoisting, lifting, or other crane-type facilities when it is desired to load, unload, or transport a heavy cylindrical object. In operation, to load the apparatus, the lifting beam 52 may be secured by means of hooks 54 and 56 to a cylindrical object at its ends, e. g., cylinder 18, resting horizontally or, in some instances, in a tilted or possibly vertical position. The hoist assembly 40, Whether power actuated or manually controlled, then lifts the cylinder to a height equal to or greater than the height of other cylindrical objects to be transported with the same apparatus, and the cylindrical object moved along the longitudinal elevated beam 20 to a point over the cradle 11 where it is to be deposited. The hoist assembly mechanism then is reversed to lower the cylindrical object into a cradle.

It will thus be appreciated that a heavy cylindrical container, such as a one-ton container of compressed chlorine, may be liftedonto and off a trailer or truck without involving the use of any equipment other than thatembodied inthe present invention. Further, it will be appreciated that the apparatus of the invention,

namely the combination of a specific type cradle, hoist assembly and supporting beam structure, may be transferred relatively easily from one type of conveyance to another without danger of damage or injury. Hence, the apparatus may be used, with little or no modification, on a trailer, semi-trailer, flat car, truck body, or the like, interchangeably.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been described with specific reference to particular embodiments thereof, it is not to be so limited since changes and alterations therein may be made which are within the full intended scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus adapted for the handling of heavy cylindrical objects, said apparatus comprising cradle means including at least two side rails having longitudinally spaced transversely aligned arcuate surfaces, and hoist means provided with a horizontally swingable transverse lifting beam adapted for vertical movement, said lifting beam provided with at least one pivotally mounted hook means about its longitudinal axis, said hoist disposed above said cradle means to permit lifting said cylindrical objects into and out of position in said cradle means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the hoist means include a centrally disposed, longitudinally extending elevated beam supporting and serving as track means for a hoist adapted to engage and lift said cylindrical objects.

3. A self-loading carrying device for articles presenting arcuate surfaces to the horizontal, said carrying device including platform means permitting movement thereof as in shipping, a plurality of spaced arcuate cradles juxtapositioned to each other and secured to said platform, the radii of the arcs of said cradles being at least equal to that of the articles to be carried, track means mounted on said platform over said cradles at a height equal to at least twice the height of an article to be carried, a trolley on said track, hoist means provided with a horizontally swingable transverse lifting beam adapted for vertical movement and depending from said trolley, securing means associated with said track and trolley to elevate one of said articles above the tops of the other articles in said cradles and to move the same from its position above its cradle, said movement being entirely independent of disturbance of any other cradle or article in a cradle.

4. in combination with a movable support, apparatus to load, unload, and transport cylindrical articles, said apparatus comprising a base, an article support comprising a plurality of spaced longitudinal rails, each having a plurality of transversely aligned longitudinally spaced upwardly concave arcuate surfaces adapted jointly to receive and support said cylindrical articles during movement of said support, at least one longitudinally disposed, elevated beam mounted above said arcuate surfaces, said elevated beam extending beyond one end of said support, and being secured at its opposite end to said base, said longitudinal beam additionally supported by inverted U-shaped elements, a hoist assembly movably mounted on said longitudinal beam for movement therealong, said hoist assembly including a plurality of rollers engaging said beam, and hoist means provided with a horizontally sv/ingable transverse lifting beam adapted for vertical movement and including a lifting means adapted to engage and transport one of said cylindrical articles into, out of, and horizontally above its cradle formed by said arcuate surfaces.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said cylindrical articles have recessed ends, and said lifting member is provided with hooks in each end thereof adapted to engage said cylindrical articles by means of the recessed ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,124,217 Emery Jan. 5, 1915 2,177,525 Henderson Oct. 24, 1939 2,377,845 Westfall June 5, 1945 2,428,144 Clough Sept. '30, 1947 2,429,193 Pool et al Oct. 14, 1947 2,579,003 Josephian Dec. 18, 1951 2,646,180 Schlough et a1 July 21, 1953 

